Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 273, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 21 November 1918 — Page 2

America’s. Achievement Behind the Lines

Greatest Scheme of Communications Ever Used in Warfare Is Rapidlu Nearino Completion. \

The London Times has published two articles described as “the first authorized description of what the American forces have accomplished in France],., during their first eleven months* participation in the war.” The following are extracts from these articles: ' Z --~ " HE Americans in France are rapidly pushing to completion the longest and in many respects z( the greatest scheme of communlcations ever used in warfare. A -ay ■ trip over tJiese lines todayls a deeply impressive experience. Since Mr. Newton D. Baker, the United States secretary of w-ar, inspected them less than three months ago, the work is fairly leaping forward; the very landscape changes overnight After two solid weeks of travel, inspecting every main phase and much of the detail of this vast project, I return convinced that what the Americans have accomplished since their first detachment of troops landed in France 11 months ago will stand out In history as one of the greatest achievements of the war. The bearing of this vast work upon the whole war program is supremely important. There is no doubt in my mind that the extent of it, the meaning of it and the future possibilities of it should be made clear to-the public, both here and in the United States. It is well at the outset to state some basic facts. The French had all their sources of supply near at hand, and the establishment of their lines of comnfunicatlon was a 4 comparatively simple affair. The British, with all their sources much farther away from, the fighting areas and with water transport entering as an important factor into their scheme, had a much more difficult task in planning and perfecting their supply service. But great as was the British problem, that which confronted the. Americans when they entered the war was immeasurably greater. Their armies and all their war materials had -to be brought thousands of miles from their sources of supply; the submarine campaign was at its highest point of efficiency; the adoption of the convoy system considerably reduced the capacity of shipping facilities, which, even in the most favorable circumstances, would have been totally Inadequate to the demands made upon them; there were no large modern ports on the coast of France; nor was there anything like sufficient railway facilities to accommodate the vast stream of men and materials which must flow steadily tn, with constantly increasing volume, from the date when the first detachment of United States soldiers landed on French soil. At the same time one must realize that, from the moment war was declared, America itself was rapidly resolving Into a huge engine of war. With raw materials, industries, coal and railways, all put quickly under government control and each day becoming more centralized for the sole purpose of multiplying the output of war requirements, the pressure toward France Increased with startling rapidity; indeed, it was measured only by the utmost limit of available shipping space. That situation has continued right up to,the present, and will continue, no matter how great the output of new ships may be, for a considerable time to come. , . To take care of this steadily growing volume of men, horses, guns, foods and supplies, to resolve the modest existing facilities Into a permanent line of communications hundred of miles In length, adequate to care for an army of the future numbering millions, at the same time meeting all the transport requirements of the civic population scattered over the great stretch of France through which these lines extended —that was the task which confronted the first detachment of American engineers who landed here 11 months ago. But with ail their dlffcultles the Americans had one substantial advantage over the British, or even the French. They were able to profit by the three years' war experience of these two nations and shape the details of a considerable part of their main program In accordance with the full development of the British and French war machinery. They were not slow to avail themselves of this advantage, and the marvellous progress they have made is due in no small measure to the quickness with. which they adapted and incorporated into their own scheme certain features of organization which the British and French had evolved through a long period of actual warfare. The cordial way In which the British and French transport and other officials received the Americans and gave them every possible kind of aid and advice Is one of the many bright chapters in this story of achievement This was the only substantial advantage the Americans had. Their handicaps were multifold, their task colossal. How splendidly they attacked their problems and conquered one after another of the obstacles which confronted them stands out to clear perspective as one passes along their great lines of communication tqday. Sixty drfys more will see the greater part of the whole vast scheme in W operation. Even now the completed part of the system is equal to all demands made upon ft, and with labor and materials available in fairly equable proportions, as they are now, the actual construction wort is going ahead more rapidly than ever. What the American forces In France have accomplished thus far is almost Incredible. For instance, out of the waste lands adjacent to an old French port they have constructed a splendid line

of modern docks, where every day now shjps are pouring forth their cargoes of men and war materials, cars and machinery. This dock system is finished. It supplements the old French dock system in the town, where still more ships are constantly discharging American cargoes. A huge new warehouse system at this point is also nearing completion; even now It is able to take care of the great flood of supplies which is constantly pouring in. In the old part of this same coast town the Americans have installed motor operation and cold storage plants, a motor reception park, and quarters for storing supplies for ordnance and aviation forces. These are more or less temporary quarters, and will be merged in the near future in the general scheme which is now being completed in the outskirts of the town. In addition to the new docks, warehouses and extensive railway yards (these latter have a trackage of nearly 200 miles), work is well advanced on the new car assembly shop, where already, when I saw it in its incompleted state, 20 odd freight cars a day, of three different designs, were being turned out and put into immediate service. Another assembly plant has been constructed —at a different point —to handle allsteel cars, which are transported here from America “knocked-down” —that is, in sections, in order to economize shipping space. / At this plant these steel cars are now being assembled at the rate of a complete train a day, and plans are rapidly culminating for a large extension of the work. Here, too, a huge camp has been built for the negro stevedores, also a remount camp and two big rest camps, providing for many thousands of American soldiers, who march thence from the boats to be sifted and rearranged for dispatch to the various training camps farther inland. Not far from here work on a new 20.000bed hospital is forging ahead, and 30 days from now it will be virtually completed. This Is the largest hospital center yet constructed. It is composed entirely of small, one-story, light, airy and attractive structures, divided into small squares, laid out on a great, open stretch of sand, surrounded by pine trees, and altogether promises to be an ideal institution of its kind. In this same section is an immense new artillery camp all ready for the several brigades of artillery which were expected when I was there, and, like the hospital enterprise, it is in strong hands and promises welt In includes a large remount camp, in which were several thousand horses at the time of my visit. The work in this section, which is typical of that at all the other base ports I visited, is being vigorously and Intelligently directed. Strong executives are in charge, and the spirit of the workers is excellent throughout. Everywhere the Americans are realizing that they have “caught up with themselves,” and now that they can visualize the com.* pletlon of what's few months ago looked so much like an impossible undertaking they are buoyed up happy and inspired by their success; they have conquered obstacles and overcome conditions which only great ability and indomitable spirit could possibly surmount One realizes, after inspecting the character and extent of the work at the several base ports which the Americans have taken over, that here lies the strength of their future scheme of operations. These port schemes are great affairs today ; but they are so worked out as to be capable of almost unlimited expansion. This Is highly important, for the war developments of the past two months have clearly pointed the way toward greater unity of effort by the allies and greater mobility of action by the French, British and American fighting forces. The tendency is toward a pooling both of effort and supplies, the natural outcome of centralization under a single command. This may easily resolve the American base ports in France into main reserve centers, from which their channels of distribution will radiate directly to railheads on all parts of the front, instead of mainly through the intermediate and advance area centers, which are now being constructed. These latter, in that event, would be utilized in connection with the great and ever-growing training centers through which, for a long time to come, the American army of 2,000,000 or more, in the making, must pass. As at the base ports, so I found conditions an along the hundreds of miles of the American

THE EVENING REPUBLICAN; RENSSELAER, IND,

for, as I have already indicated, the further development of the great base ports may yet rob it of some of its originally contemplated functions, but, however that may be, it is now one of the main pillars of the structure. It comprises a wide variety of enterprises, all on a huge scale, scattered at various points over a large section of the country, but skilfully linked .up by rail, one branch dovetailed into another, and all comb ning for the quick handling of stores Cor an army of millions. x An “organization chart,” showing the activities centered under the commanding general of this great intermediate section, though not quite so formidable, perhaps, reminds one of a chart of the district of London. This commanding officer is responsible primarily for the main reserve stores, for the American expeditionary forces and the constant sending forward of their dally supplies; but in addition to that he has a large measure of responsibility for the organization and control of great crimps, schools, base hospitals, rest areas, engineering and repair shops, the principal repository for “spare parts of all machinery used in the army, cold storage plants, oil and petrol depots, forestry work and control of a good-sized labor army, which includes many thousands of negroes, Chinamen and German prisoners of war. A round of this huge field of operations is both instructive and inspiring. At one point I went through an enormous locomotive assembling and repair works (housed in a great modern factory building now nearing completion), built for the Americans, under French supervision, by a Spanish firm; a huge oil and petrol supply station,, a 10,000-bed hospital and a number of other highly Important branches of a central organization which constitutes one of the real backbone sections of the service of supply. At another point I went over great railway yards to see the rows upon rows of street structure warehouses which are being built to hold supplies for an army of a million men for 30 days; an immense refrigerating plant and countless other features, all on the same prodigious scale. Calm, quiet men are supervising it all, watching it grow before their eyes. When the telephones jingle (and they are never long in repose) there is no .shouting, no excitement; just quiet, firm replies to the questions put There is everywhere an air of suppressed energy rather than exuberance or “bustie.” It is orderly progress, firmly guided by strong minds, by capable meh. America has put her best executives into this work and they .are rapidly “making good," as events of the very near future are certain to prove. Farther along the line I saw much the same evidence of orderliness combined with strength In the army bakeries, in the big central camouflage plant, at the various advanced centers from which the army supplies are rearranged for shifting to various railheads and thence to the soldiers at the front. If, aLifiany believe, it is going to be necessary for the Americans to put an army of 3,000,000 info the field to enable the allies to achievea definite and conclusive military victory, then the development of the full American program is a matter of ,the highest importance to the whole allied cause. From every point of view the results of the first year’s work may be set down as a glorious achievement, of which Americans have every right to be proud; the year’s record is a monument to their zeal and their wonderful ability. It is a record which promises still greater things for the near future. It spells the beginning of the end, and points clearly to an overwhelming victory for the allies. It seems to me that the more the people of France and England and the United States know about this American work in France the better. If the enemy, failing In his effort to deliver a knockout blow by flinging against the allied lines the full force of his eastern armies, released by the collapse of Russia, next turns his efforts to a concentrated peace offensive, as doubtless he will, then surely a clear knowledge of the nature and extent of the American achievement to date, of the American plank, and most of all an understanding of the underlying determination to go the whole distance and not stop till the right kind of peace has been secured. will steel the hearts of the war-weary ones and silence the traitors and pacifists among sis for good and alh

lines of communlca--11 on; everywhere the same kind of capable men in command, the same splendid spirit and energy, the same steady progress toward the ends io view, the same optimism as to the quick and successful working out <?f the plans as a whole. At present the immense “intermediate section" looms large in the general American plan. It may or may not grow in Importance as the war goes on,

HER VIGILANT AUNT

By JACK LAWTON.

Miss Tuxberry had long been considering the idea of a compahlon, with whom to spend her later days. The great difficulty lay in finding one of suitable disposition, various maidens of apparently “suitable dispositions” having been tried, the most promising falling to remain “suitable? under Miss Tuxberry’s exacting needs. The death of a far-away and halfforgotten brother* seemed the answer to the solution. Thomas, neglected by his fortune-favored sister, in leaving this world was obliged to leave his beloved daughter. Drusilla would bb alone and penniless. Thomas, easygoing and visionary, had not prospered. His sister was his last hope of help in time of need. To her, therefore, with an apologetic letter, he sent his only daughter. ’ Drusie, he had called her tenderly; in Aunt Tuxberry’s home began a new and sterner order of things. Drusilla’s disposition changed not by her aunt’s fretfulness, but from each trial emerged again sunnily, like flowers after rain. One morning a bulky letter arrived. Its postmark was that of the city whbre Drusilla had made her home. The address was undoubtedly In e man’s chirography. The blue eyes of her niece seemed suddenly Illumined by an Inner light as she reached for the envelope and her dimples came into play, as she perused the letter. “It is from Jack,” she murmured happily; “he and I have known each other all our lives. He really felt dreadfully when I came away. We — might have married, but the war. and all made things so Uncertain. Now —” Drusilla jumped up and whirled about in a joyous sort of dance. “He’s coming here,” she ended. All the hard lines came back to Miss Tuxberry’s face, but being wise in the ways of women, she said not a word* Beirig unscrupulous, also, where her own wishes were concerned. Miss Tuxberry merely watched for, and failed to deliver Jack’s next letter. Drusle’s eager face grew perplexed. “I cannot understand,” she said, “why Jack does not write the date of his coming.” Miss Tuxberry had learned the date of Jack’s coming. I “Well, if I were you,” she advised briskly, “I’d have more pride than to mpon about it,” and that evening she summoned her physician. “I want to go away to rest my nerves,” she told him. “What sanitarium can you recommend, where patients are merely healthy people humoring their imaginations? I don’t care ..to be shut up like sick folks.” The doctor, knowing his patient, smiled as he scribbled an address. So Brasilia was dragged away. “Surely,” the girl answered her troubled conscience, “I could not be so ungrateful as to. refuse this service. If only Jack would write—” Jack’s second peremptory letter had been disposed of. Miss Tuxberry hoped secretly that hot-headed youth would find in this apparent indifference upon the part of his sweetheart cause sufficient for long and injured silence. When she and Drusilla returned from the sanitarium she would consider further means to prolong that sllencp. For faithful and undivided attention' to herself, the girl should inherit her entire estate. That would be reward for present deprivation. Some.evil fortune aided Miss Tux* berry’s plan. She had barely become established in her luxurious room in the sanitarium, with Drusilla near by, when a servant brought to the place evidence of a dreaded germ, and quarantine was declared. Aunt Tuxberry felt none of the apprehension of other guests. Drusie, pale and sad-eyed, gazed wonderlngly down the road. “Why, oh why did Jack not answer her letters?” “Absence had brought forgetfulnesh,” her aunt Insisted. “If Jack forgot,” Drusilla felt desperately that she could not bear her Jonging heart ache. * “A telephone message at the office from your housekeeper,” a nurse informed Miss Tuxberry. “Asking some tiresome question,” that lady surmised. “You answer it, Drusilla.” But it was not the housekeeper’s voice which greeted Drusle’s ears. “This is Jack,” came decidedly over the wire, “and Pm not going to stand any more of this hide-and-seek. I’m on my way to the sanitarium, be there in fifteen minutes; look for a runabout at the entrance.” “But—” walled Drusie. . “No buts,” answered her impatient lover, and cut off connection, Evident? ly Jack was ignorant concerning the quarantine law. She would not be permitted to see him. Across the office couch before Drusilla’s eyes was thrown the visiting doctor’s auto coat ' Near the outer door, his face bent over a paper, was the quarantine guard. Swiftly she slipped into the doctor’s long coat, down over her ears came his soft felt hat When she had adjusted the big gauntlets, Drusie reached with a smile for the doctor’s small bag. She would rush across the hall In that fraatically busy way of his—and dare, escape. The great door opened and closed. A runabout waited near the entrance —Miss Tuxberry’s vigilance was ended. (CoDTriaht tftt. Western Newspaper Tin Inn A ■ - . T -_ -

Growing Old

By REV. L. W. GOSNELL

AuiiUnt Dean. Moody Bibto Inatitute, Chicago

TEXT—PauI the aged.—Philemon 9. Old age Is dreaded by some. True, the physical man may decay; the keep-

cheerful he was. The Epistle to the Phllipplans was written in his latter years and from prison, yet its watchword is, Rejoice. Dr. Theodore Cuyler in his autobiography, “Memories of Eighty Years,” says : “There are some people who have a pitiful dread of old age. For myself, |pstead of it being a matter of sorrow or pain, it is rather an occasion of profound joy that God has enabled me to write in my family record, ‘Four Score Years’. The October of life may ,be one of the most fruitful months in all its calendar; and the ‘lndian summer’ its brightest period when God’s sunshine kindles every leaf on the tree with crimson and golden glories.” Notice how sympathetic Paul was when old. Shakespeare declares, “Crabbed age and youth canot live to- ’ gether,” but Paul managed it. He delighted in young life and had Mark and Titus and Timothy about him. What a secret of perpetual youth I Some Accomplishment* of the Aged. Then, too, this aged man was busy. We understand the feeling of John Wesley which led him to pray, “Lord let me not live to be useless.” We recall that Michael Angelo did his greatest work at sixfy-seven and at ninety was an eager student and cried, “O for another hundred years!” “Paradise Lost” was written by Milton a few years before his death in old age. Paul was busy with his writing. It was just at this time he wrote to Philemon, calling himself “Paul the Aged,” that he sent forth his most glorious epistles—Ephesians, Phllipplans, Colossians. Many aged people by writing letters of Christian counsel or cheer might make their last days wondrously fruitful. If they can no longer write with comfort, they may send forth printed pages like leaves of healing. Paul was busy with his reading. He blds Timothy bring to him, while imprisoned shortly before his death, his books and parchments (2 Tim. 4:1S). What an opportunity age affords to browse at will in our libraries. Thq, books we have longed to read for years may then be enjoyed. And how rich they become in the light of the experience of life! Especially, “What glory gilds the sacred page.” Paul was busy praying. Truly, he prayed without ceasing and especially in old age, spent so largely in prison. So long as this ministry Is open, no one need feel he has outlived his usefulness. Indeed, it is the yery ministry neglected by those bearing the burden and heat of the day. How the Lord seeks for Intercessors! Paul was busy with his preaching. True he was in prison, but he preached to his guards. So that throughout the Praetorian Guard Christ became known (Phil. 1:13 R. V.). We are reminded of such an invalid as Bella Cooke, confined to her room for years; but her bedside became a Bethel to thousands. The aged may be “Christian conversationalists” and may rival clergymen in their usefulness. Finally, Paul was hopeful. “The time of toy departure Is at hand,” he says, and he knows that “to depart is to be with Christ” As one has put it not a space, but only a line, separates between the believer and his Lord. “A Christian old age may be like the polar midsummer days, when the sun shines till midnight, and dips but for an imperceptible interval ere it rises for the unending day of heaven.” May an Old Man Be Saved? Nothing is more pittable than the case of an old person who is without hope. But such a person need not so continue. Gypsy Smith loves to tell how his gypsy uncle was Converted at the age of ninety-nine. “As many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.” (John 1:12.) You need not wait for some strange feeling or wonderful experience. If you will humbly receive Jesus Christ as your Savipur, you shall be saved! You may come late into the vineyard and expect but little, but who knows what the Lord of the vineyard may do (cf. Matt 20:1-16)? We heard of one converted late In life who departed full of joy, exclaiming, “I shall have my penny!”

Giving Wholly to Christ

As I give myself wholly to Christ I find the power to take him wholly for myself; and as I lose myself and all X have for him, he takes me wholly for himself and gives himself wholly to me.—The Gleaner.

ers of the house may tremble, the strong men bow themselves, the grinders cease because they are few, and those that look out of the windows be darkened. But in spite of all this, “Paul the Aged” illust rates the blessedness which may accompany a Christian old age. Doctor Cuyler at Fourscore. Notice how